


Taste The Rainbow

by magnusbicon (patrickbrewer)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Acceptance, Fluff, Introspection, M/M, Pride, Pride Parades, Realization, Self-Acceptance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 08:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19058959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patrickbrewer/pseuds/magnusbicon
Summary: And for once,for once, Alec feels like he belongs to a community that he’s safe in, one that doesn’t advertise doom or duty, but hope and acceptance.For once he is completely and utterly himself, and he knows without a shred of doubt that when the music fades and the flags stop waving and the paint is washed down the drain, that truth will remain.





	Taste The Rainbow

**Author's Note:**

> A few weeks ago I received [an ask](https://magnusbicon.tumblr.com/post/184829069565/hi-i-dont-know-if-this-has-been-talked-about) about Alec at pride and I wrote a response, and since it's now Pride Month I figured why not expand on it? So here I am. 
> 
> No matter where you are in your life, I hope you all know how loved you are. If you're surrounded by people who don't get it or accept it, there are thousands of people out there who do, and they're rooting for you (myself included).
> 
> Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈

“It’s cold,” Alec laughs out, cringing away from Magnus’ fingers, which are coated in face paint. Alec is sitting on the bathroom counter in the loft, nose scrunching as air hits the newly drawn stripe on his cheek. Magnus stands between his legs, eyebrows raised and fingers wiggling impatiently. “Is this really necessary?”

“We’ve gone over this, darling. You need the-”

“-full pride experience,” Alec interrupts, rolling his eyes even as a smile stretches across his face. “I know.”

Magnus looks gorgeous– as usual– with the pink, purple, and blue streaks in his hair, the matching eyeshadow and his own painted flag on his cheek. Even his shirt has all three colors, topped with a black waistcoat. Every inch of him screams  _BISEXUAL_  and Alec can’t help but stare, marveling at how calm he looks, how simple this process is in his mind. 

On one hand it makes sense. He’s been alive for centuries, has had plenty of time to come to terms with who he is, to love that part of himself. On the other hand... _he’s been alive for_   _centuries_. He’s faced the seemingly endless bigotry, pushed through jeers and hits, experienced the stunning progress the world has made, knows just how far they have left to go. Part of Alec thinks he should be reeling after witnessing all of that history, but Magnus is the calm in the middle of the storm. He always has been.

“All done,” Magnus says softly, brushing his suddenly clean fingers through Alec’s hair, and Alec blinks, focusing back in on what’s right in front of him. 

Magnus steps back with a fond grin and Alec stands, turning to look in the mirror. A perfectly-drawn flag glitters on his cheek, shining against his skin in the bathroom light, but his eyes are immediately drawn away from it as he realizes that at some point while he was zoned out, Magnus had put paint over all of his visible runes, covering the bold black in bright colors. 

“Do you like it?” Magnus asks quietly, resting his chin on Alec’s shoulder and meeting his gaze in the mirror’s reflection. 

Alec opens his mouth but no words come out, all of his emotions stuck in his throat. He wonders if Magnus knows just how big of a statement this is making, how he’s blending the different pieces of Alec’s identity together seamlessly, merging two worlds that he never thought could coexist peacefully. 

Alec has never felt so exposed, so  _free_. 

“I love you,” he eventually chokes out, leaning back into Magnus’ embrace as he wraps his arms around his torso. “Thank you.” 

“Like I said, Alexander,” Magnus says, pressing a kiss to Alec’s shoulder, “you deserve the full experience. Now let’s go before we’re late. You don’t want to miss a second.”

He steps back, holds out a hand, and Alec takes it. 

 

⚣⚤⚢

 

They portal into an alley just a few steps away from 26th and 5th, where the parade is set to begin. The streets are packed with people, a mix of more color than Alec has ever seen in his life, and he grips Magnus’ hand tightly as he guides him through the crowds, trying to find them a good place to stand. Finally– and maybe with a little bit of magic– they find an open spot and they stand right behind the railing, fingers still intertwined. 

Alec takes a moment to let it all soak in, though he’s not sure it ever really will. Everywhere he turns there is joy, radiant and breathtaking. Beside them is a group of teenage boys, each with flags hanging behind them like capes. An elderly couple stands across the street, hands clasped and smiles wide, both of them wearing  _Trans Rights_  shirts. Parents eagerly take their childrens’ pictures, couples kiss without a second thought, even  _dogs_  line the streets, held with rainbow leashes and wrapped in bright vests. 

Then the parade starts, and it’s unlike anything Alec has seen before. Men dance down the street wearing next to nothing, arms waving and hips swaying. Women ride motorcycles, dressed in black leather and thick helmets; Alec thinks Isabelle would fit in nicely with them. People march, holding political signs high in the air. A man wearing only suspenders and socks speeds by on rollerblades.

It’s like an alternate universe, a different world where anything and everything is possible. 

All Alec has ever known are the cold walls of the Institute, the watchful eyes of Shadowhunters who see his gaze linger too long on someone they believe it shouldn’t, the judgmental stares and disappointed sighs from his father, the neverending implication that nothing he does will be good enough, because who he is trumps what he accomplishes. His  _entire life_  he’s felt squeezed, like he was shoved into this little box when he was born, left with only a few holes suck air into, but it was never satisfying, never enough to fill his lungs, to make him feel like maybe he would survive.

But now he’s standing here, fingers tangled with his husband’s, paint on his skin and confetti in his hair, and he takes a deep breath. He really  _breathes_ , and in his head he kicks open the lid of that box and stands, letting the music meet his ears and the open air hit his skin, and for the first time in his life, he says the words out loud. The words that once made him sick to his stomach. The words that used to be forbidden in the Shadow World. 

The words that he deserves to be proud of, to cherish and show off and celebrate.

“I’m gay.”

They come out as a whisper, quickly floating away with the music blasting just a few feet away, but Magnus hears him and looks over, eyes unbelievably warm and understanding as he replies, “Yes, Alexander, you are.” 

And for once,  _for once_ , Alec feels like he belongs to a community that he’s safe in, one that doesn’t advertise doom or duty, but hope and acceptance. 

For once he is completely and utterly himself, and he knows without a shred of doubt that when the music fades and the flags stop waving and the paint is washed down the drain, that truth will remain.

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. shoutout to the susq and everyone else who sees the title of this fic and immediately thinks of The Gif™


End file.
